April | 2018 | Guy Portman's Blog

My Reading List

Apr 27 2018

As Frank Zappa once famously said, ‘So many books, so little time.’ I am sure many of you can empathise with that, I certainly can. As well as keeping busy writing (4 novels to date) I like to read. My writing genre is dark humour/satire. Because of this I tend to read a lot of books that fall into this category. However, I am something of an eclectic reader. Today, I would like to share with you a few books from my ever-growing TBR list.

Yes, I am aware the above is a picture of a dog not a book cover. Trigga has picked up some unsavoury habits of late, possibly from his owner. As a result I have decided to deviate from my usual reading matter to read …

The Dog Listener

Wish me luck.

I have not read much Irvine Welsh, but I was immensely impressed by Skagboys which I read earlier this year. My next Welsh book will be … What a great title, marabou storks are terrifying creatures.

Marabou Stork Nightmares

American Gods

Goodreads members have been raving about American Gods for a long time. It is high time that I read it.

Bret Easton Ellis has certainly had an influence on me and my writing. I didn’t think much of Lunar Park though. Hopefully this will be better.

Imperial Bedrooms

When it comes to entertainment, you can’t beat prison breaks. Somehow, I have never got around to reading:

Papillon

Like its prequel Blood Ties promises to be a gritty Manchester-based crime novel.

Blood Ties

The word ‘scarface’ was enough to prompt me to add the below to my to-read list. Just as many the world over, the film Scarface had a profound effect on me.

Hotel Scarface

The Journey of Crazy Horse

I have always been fascinated by indigenous Americans. Crazy Horse is an iconic figure and I have high hopes for this book.

Fiend

If you know you me, you will know that I cannot resist Transgressive Fiction hence the inclusion of Fiend on my TBR.

Have you signed up to my monthly book-related newsletter? Click here to do so.

5 Controversial Transgressive Novels

Apr 20 2018

I am an avid reader and writer of Transgressive Fiction, and the proud proprietor of the world’s largest resource for Transgressive Fiction (this website).

Because of the ‘deviant’ nature of their protagonists, Transgressive Fiction has often been viewed as controversial. Here are five works of Transgressive Fiction that have caused controversy. They are presented in chronological order. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)

Why Controversial: It was Tropic of Cancer‘s candid sexual content that led to it being banned from being imported into the United States after its publication in France in 1934. In 1964 the U.S. Supreme Court deemed it to be non-obscene in a landmark verdict.

My Review: Set in the late 1920s and early 30s, Tropic of Cancer is a semi-autobiographical first-person account of a young, struggling American writer living in Paris, and for a short period Le Havre. His is a seedy existence, characterised by a shortage of money …(more)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

Why Controversial: Citing the book’s controversial subject matter and perceived pornographic content, the UK Home Office confiscated all copies of the book in 1955. Lolita was banned in France the following year, but never in the US. It continues to cause controversy to this day.

My Review: The protagonist, Humbert Humbert, is an intellectual with an all-consuming craving for young girls, or nymphets as he refers to them. After his wife leaves him for another man, Humbert Humbert becomes a live-in tutor for the Hazes …(more)

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)

Why Controversial: In 1973 a bookseller in Utah was arrested for selling A Clockwork Orange. The text has been banned in various High Schools and libraries down the years in the US. Much of the controversy surrounding the book is because of its violent film adaptation.

My Review: Alex is an eccentric 15-year-old delinquent with a penchant for classical music and drinking milk. He and his fellow ‘droogs’ assault, rob and rape with impunity, that is until a serious incident sees him arrested and incarcerated. Our anti-hero is anticipating …(more)

Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. (1964)

Why Controversial: This cult classic was lauded by many at the time of its publication and continues to be to this day. However, its candid portrayals of numerous taboo topics drew the ire of the authorities in the UK, where it was subjected to an obscenity trial. The book was banned in Italy.

My Review: This inter-related collection of six stories are set in 1950s Brooklyn, New York. One revolves around a Benzedrine-scoffing transvestite’s unreciprocated love for a hoodlum. The protagonist of another is a callous, heavy-drinking prostitute, hell-bent on …(more)

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)

Why Controversial: Even before its publication American Psycho received damning criticism for its graphic violence and perceived misogynistic content. The book was banned in Canada and Queensland (Australia). In the rest of Australia and New Zealand its sale remains restricted to over eighteen’s.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman. Patrick is intelligent, well-educated, wealthy and …(more)

About me.

My Blogging Reflections

Apr 13 2018

I have been doing this blog for over six years now. My first post on the 12th March 2012 was about my trip to Miami, a city which is everything I am not – sunny, loud, brash, beach-orientated. The post was followed four days later with another, dedicated to my first ever trip to Taco Bell. A Fort Lauderdale, Florida Taco Bell to be precise. Back at home in London, England I continued blogging on a weekly basis, every Friday afternoon. And I have been doing so ever since. Nowadays I live in the quintessential English countryside in West Sussex, but one thing hasn’t changed, I am still blogging every Friday, at 16:03. Somebody said to me the other day – ‘Why? Why do you blog?’

‘I am a creature of habit.’

‘But surely you have better ways to spend your time?’

‘No, I don’t.’

Initially the plan was to blog in order to promote my books (4 to date, a 5th on the way). But you can only promote your own books so much, and at any rate the link between blogging and book sales is I believe tenuous at best for the vast majority of authors, this one included. Most of my posts are dedicated to other authors’ books and book facts, with occasional travel-related posts, including several cemetery tours at home and abroad. I like cemeteries. They feature heavily in two of my books.

Here is a summary of what I have penned since I begun this blog (not including shopping lists etc.)

Four novels:

Charles Middleworth – An insightful story of the unexpected

Symbiosis – Explores our enduring fascination with twins

Necropolis – What is a sociopath to do?

Sepultura – A sociopath can only keep up a façade for so long

When I started out I knew I wanted to write, but was not sure what. Dark humour is now my genre of choice. Necropolis and its recently-released sequel Sepultura fit best into this category. Necropolis now has 69 ratings and reviews on Goodreads. I will be releasing a fifth book later this year. Further information to be released in due course.

In addition to my books and a weekly blog post, I have penned 126 book reviews, all of which can be found in the book review section of this blog. There are many genres to be found there, non Fiction as well as Fiction. There is a particular focus on dark fiction, much of it humorous. The quality of my book reviews range from good to bad to ugly. However, I believe they have improved exponentially with the passage of time. I have after all had a fair bit of practice. If you haven’t already check them out. Maybe you will find a book/s you want to read.

And if you like dark humour/Transgressive Fiction you might consider adding one of mine to your TBR list. Here is a link to my Goodreads author page. If you’ve read and liked Necropolis or Sepultura, it would be much appreciated if you could spare a second to ‘vote’ for them on one of these Goodreads listopia lists:

Literary Dark Humour

Best Transgressive Fiction

Funny Irreverent Novels

As for me I will keep blogging every Friday afternoon at 16:03.

And one last thing, I will be announcing the winners of my prize draw on Sunday (15th April).

14 Fascinating Book Facts

Apr 06 2018

This week whilst whiling away some time on the internet, I discovered some interesting and in some instances ludicrous book-related ‘facts’ that have not previously made an appearance here on my blog. Before I share them a quick reminder about my book prize draw (ends Apr 15th). Further details can be found at the bottom of this post. Without further ado here are the facts:

Ever wondered which is the most banned book in America? The Harry Potter books are said to be the most banned in America. This is due to religious complaints, primarily from Evangelical Christian groups.

It transpires that there is a use for Mills & Boon novels after all. The M6 toll road was built on 2.5 million copies of pulped Mills & Boon novels.

The most expensive book ever is allegedly Codex Leicester by Leonardo Da Vinci. According to Business Insider Bill Gates paid $30.8 million (half an hour’s salary) for a copy.

It has been claimed that the first book written on a typewriter was Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi

President Theodore Roosevelt read at least one book per day. The same number as the present incumbent has read in a lifetime then.

The top 3 most read books in the world are: The Holy Bible, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and the Harry Potter series.

As of mid-2017, there were an estimated 134,399,411 total published books in the world. That is a lot of books. No wonder us authors have such a hard job selling them.

Have you ever wondered how all those Gideons Bibles end up in hotel rooms? I certainly have. They are distributed by Gideons International, an organisation set up with the sole purpose of distributing Bibles. Gideons are said to have distributed over 2 billion Bibles at a rate of 2 Bibles per second/7,200 per hour. Staggering. Not to mention bad news for the World’s tree population.

Prior to Bill Gates’s book spending splurge, the most expensive book ever was allegedly the 1640 Bay Psalm book. It sold at auction for $14.2 million

The Powell’s City of Books bookstore in Oregon takes up an entire city block (1.6 acres/68,000 square feet) of retail space. (see picture below).

Aristophanes’ play Assemblywomen contains the longest word in Greek – 171 letters. It is the name of a fictional food dish. Here it is translated into English – Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon. I am so pleased I was never given the part that has this word in the school play.

Did you know that books often used to be chained to shelves in libraries, in order to prevent ~~borrowing~~ stealing?

The slowest-selling book ever is reputedly a 1716 translation of the New Testament from Coptic into Latin. The last of its 500 copies was sold in 1907.

The first book described as a ‘best-seller’ was Fools of Nature by ~~Dan~~ Alice Brown (1899).

About me.

Enter my prize draw and win a rare, signed, first edition copy of Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted (Worth: £122.21/$170.70) + more dark humour book prizes must be won. Click Here to Enter.